This is true love
by outlawqueenrumbelle
Summary: Regina refuses to accept Robin's death, and finds a way to fix it. It will cost her, but 'true love is sacrifice'. This is my first OQ fanfic, and I hope y'all like it! Please please follow and review, so excited to start this! (Title comes from when Regina tells Zelena true love is sacrifice, just btw)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Regina had been dreading this particular day since the moment she watched Robin Hood, the man she loved, sacrifice himself for her. The aforementioned moment refers to the point in which she knew that she would be expected to do the unthinkable… move on with everyone else.

Regina could hear the telltale signs of a Storybrook morning taking place in her home. She could smell coffee brewing, the scent of cooking eggs and bacon wafting through the air, and, naturally, a light hint of cinnamon. She could hear the sounds of Henry and Emma bickering playfully as Emma prepared breakfast, and Henry for school. She could slightly hear Snow and Charming conversing casually with one another, like they would on any other morning. And to them, other than the fact that this morning's events were transpiring in Regina's kitchen rather than in the Charmings' loft, it really was an ordinary morning.

Regina took a brief second to be thankful that Emma possessed the good sense to leave her one-hand-wonder, recently resurrected pirate of a boyfriend at home, and keep him far away from Regina. When Regina had first seen Hook come waltzing back into Granny's after Robin's funeral to check on Emma's wellbeing, she literally had to fight the urge to vomit. And when he then went on to explain his return to the land of the living, and his absurdly good luck and fortune that could only be the universe's way of rewarding him for being with the savior, Regina had to force herself to remain rooted in her booth and not tear him limb from limb. Because he did not deserve to live when Robin no longer could.

Emma, Snow, Charming and, of course, Henry, refused to leave Regina alone since Robin Hood's death. They insisted on practically uprooting their life from Snow's loft space into Regina's spacious mayor's mansion. Although Regina was slightly moved by their obvious display of compassion and support for her, she wanted nothing more than for all of them to just leave her alone. Even Henry. How could she possibly mourn her love the way that she needed to with the Charmings keeping her under constant surveillance? And how, _how_ , could she allow herself to truly break down in front of her beloved son? Regina had long since decided that she would never allow others to perceive a weakness in her. But to be honest, she was completely running out of energy.

Almost everything made her want to sink to the ground, curl up into a fetal position, and sob her eyes out. She couldn't look anywhere, at anything or anyone, and not somehow see the absence of Robin Hood. In Storybrook, she would glance at any street or structure and see a place where he used to walk. A place where she could perhaps see him walking to meet her, or a place they had walked together. Not to mention what it did to her seeing Roland… She truly could not allow herself to think about the precious little boy, because the weight of his grief over the loss of his father on top of hers truly was too much for her. When she looked at Snow and Charming, she remembered the ways in which they had relentlessly encouraged her to pursue and cultivate her relationship with Robin Hood, and finally find the happy ending they insisted she deserved. She looked at Henry and saw the infinite and unwavering love he seemed to have for her, and how he had always said that Robin saw her the same way that he did: as a strong, heroic woman worthy of love. She looked at Emma and Hook… and she saw the reason for her loss. Of course she knew it wasn't really their fault, as it was Hades who took Robin's life, but she was unable to quell the vicious resentment she felt towards both of them, seeing as it was Emma's idea to chase Hook to the lowest pits of hell that caused them to encounter Hades in the first place. The list of things Regina was unable to look at stretched on endlessly, and she was unsure how much more her breaking heart could bear.

In the week since Robin's funeral, Snow and Charming had virtually taken care of everything for Regina. They had maintained her home's appearances, temporarily managed her obligations as the town's mayor, and kept those wishing to offer their condolences and pay their respects at bay. While her parents directly tended to Regina, Emma made sure that everything that Henry needed was handled, while Henry was doing everything he could to try and return the light to Regina's eyes. Regina, meanwhile, although there were constantly people in her home, had hardly managed to leave her bedroom. More specifically, her closet. She was comforted by the enclosed space. She truly longed to return to her vault, but knew that if she did this she would alarm her friends into thinking she was reverting back to the evil queen, and that it would never be permitted. In reality, it had nothing at all to do with the magic within the vault, it simply was the place Regina had always been able to go to be completely alone with herself. Except, of course, for the best 'sleep' of her life, when she allowed Robin to pass the evening with her there. She yearned to be within the locked, soundproof doors of her vault, where she could truly be alone with herself and the memory of her beloved Robin Hood. But alas, she settled for the confines of her closet.

Regina knew that this particular day was the one to be dreaded, because it was the designated day that Henry would return to school. The rest of Regina's Storybrook family would be unable to continue indulging her in this post-Robin Hood purgatory any longer. Life would return to normal, and Regina would soon be expected to keep up. And she knew that she would not be able to do so.

She _wanted_ to be strong, and to press on. She wanted to be the alluring, often intimidating, always put-together mayor that Storybrook had grown accustomed to. She would give anything to be able to be that person, but Regina knew that she did not exist anymore. In truth, Regina felt completely broken down, weary with grief, exhausted with attempting to maintain appearances, unbelievably aggravated with accepting insignificant condolences, and mostly… she just desperately _missed_ the man that she loved.

Regina missed Robin Hood so much that it physically pained her. She missed his sandy blonde hair and entrancingly beautiful blue eyes. She missed the rugged and manly way that he dressed, and the way he always smelled of forest. A smell that had become infinitely comforting and beautiful to her. She missed the sound of his voice, so masculine and accented, yet so soft and loving. She missed the way he looked at her. She missed the way his calloused and skilled hands felt on her body. She missed his adoring, goofy, crooked smile that he seemed to always be wearing. She missed watching him lovingly father his son. She missed the way that he looked walking towards her, and she missed how she felt knowing that in just seconds, she would get to be with him. She missed the way it felt when he said he would come over and spend the night with her. She missed what it was like waking up the next morning in his arms. Everything. She missed everything.

She missed him in the same way that she had when he was alive, like when she had to work long hours at the office and was unable to see him, or when he had to lead a hunt with the Merry men, or tend to Roland. But now she was faced with the fact that the endless yearning would never again be fulfilled. And she was completely haunted by that knowledge. There was no relaxing and comforting understanding that, although she missed him desperately in the moment, she would see him soon and everything would be okay. Now there was just nothing to pull her through the day. Every hour that passed seemed to drag on endlessly for her, and each second ached.

At least during the interim of the past week, she wasn't expected to do anything other than mourn her loss. But now… Now what was she supposed to do?

Regina forced herself to get out of her bed. She walked over to her vanity, and briefly glanced over her makeup products and hair tools, before realizing that she had less than zero inclination towards using any of them. Instead, she went into her closet and selected an outfit for herself. Certainly nothing worthy of her typical appearance, but not completely revolting either. She settled on a cashmere, black, v-necked sweater, and her traditional, 'sensible', black pants. She pulled her most plain pair of short black heels on beneath the cuffs of her pants, and then returned to her room. She briefly glanced in the full length mirror, just so she could make sure her outfit wasn't completely unsuitable for company. Once deciding that the outfit was fine enough, she left her dark, breast-length, layered black hair down and untouched, and mustered the strength to leave the bedroom.

Just walking through the hallway to the kitchen was a struggle for her, as she felt Robin's absence again creeping up on her. This was going to be a painfully long day.

The slight clicking of her heels on the marble floors alerted her company of her impending arrival, and they were all waiting for her as she entered the kitchen. Snow and Charming, who were seated next to each other at her breakfast table, sipping coffee, offered soft and sympathetic smiles towards her. This would have been exceptionally irritating from anyone else, but she just knew that their portrayed emotions were completely genuine. On the other hand, Emma made an obvious effort to just continue preparing breakfast, and not make her pity obvious, as she knew that Regina would be most disgusted by a show of sympathy from her. She was certainly right about that. Henry, however, immediately leapt from his barstool and hugged Regina tightly before anyone else had a chance to say a word. She momentarily found solace in the arms of her precious son, who wholeheartedly radiated love and compassion from his embrace. She briefly allowed herself to bury her face in his hair, and relish the temporary comfort.

He pulled away after a few seconds, and Regina was brutally transported back to reality.

"Mom is making breakfast, I had her make pancakes, I know they're your favorite," Henry said to Regina sweetly, staring lovingly up at her. Regina's heart swelled with love for her son, as she appreciated his generosity and consideration more than she could express. However, the thought of actually eating something made her physically ill. Regina had hardly touched any food all week, apart from when someone was forcing her to, and she had definitely lost a few pounds. Her pants were a little loose around her hips.

"You hungry?" Emma asked casually, briefly glancing up at Regina, as she skillfully flipped three pancakes onto a plate for her. Regina did actually very much appreciate the way that Emma was working so hard not to treat her like a fragile piece of glass.

"Thank you, Henry. And thank you, Emma, I'd love a plate," Regina forced herself to get out in response. Regina could feel Snow's concerned gaze on her back, and she just knew that Snow could see right through her as she sat down in the empty seat next to her.

Emma brought the plate of pancakes over to Regina, and Henry immediately added silverware and a cup of coffee for her. Regina smiled appreciatively at both of them, and forced herself to pick up the silverware and cut up one of the pancakes as though she was about to eat. Henry lingered uncertainly for a moment, as though hoping to see Regina eat a little bit for his own comfort.

He turned his back on her for a second to speak to Emma.

"Just take a few bites. I know it hurts, but it will ease his mind, he's worried sick," Regina suddenly heard Snow whisper into her ear. Regina sighed, knowing that if it would help Henry she had no hope of resisting.

She waited for Henry to look her way again before popping a bite of the pancake into her mouth. Henry beamed as Regina struggled to ingest the sickly sweet food.

Luckily, everyone had the good sense not to be awkward and silent around her, and Emma, Snow, and Charming conducted a decent but overall inconsequential conversation to fill the room as to remove the pressure from Regina.

"Alright, kid, you've gotta get to school. You can't be late on your first day back. I'll walk you to the bus stop," Emma said to Henry, as the both of them worked to clear the plates from the table.

"Okay, I just wanna say goodbye to Mom first," Henry replied agreeably.

Regina smiled at him and rose from the table.

"I'll walk you out," she said gently, as she put her arm around his shoulders motherly. Henry's arm wrapped around her waist securely and they made their way through the hallway towards the front door.

"I love you, Henry," Regina said, taking Henry's adorable, youthful face into her hands and kissing his forehead for a long moment. Henry took both of Regina's hands into his own as hers fell from his face.

"Mom, I know how much you're hurting. I'm not a kid anymore, you don't have to be so brave all the time," Henry said to her sternly. Regina chuckled lightly, and felt herself smile at his show of strength.

"Henry, it's my job to protect you, not the other way around. Don't worry about me, the best thing you can do for me is to just have the most amazing day you can," Regina said, smiling genuinely at him. Henry grinned in response and hugged her again.

"I love you too, Mom. I'll see you as soon as school's out," Henry reminded her, referring to the fact that Regina typically picked him up from the bus stop in the afternoon while Emma dropped him off in the mornings, just as Emma joined their conversation by the front door.

"I can get him today, if that's easier for you, Regina," Emma offered before Regina had time to respond.

"I appreciate that, but I'm sure I can manage. I'll see you at 3:30, sharp," Regina said to Henry, lightly touching his nose with her index finger. He smiled again, before walking out the front door, fully adorned with backpack and scarf. Emma shot one last understanding glance back at Regina, before closing the door behind her.

Although part of her immediately missed her son, as she appreciated his love and equally hated to have him out of her sight, she was also partly relieved to not have to put up such a strong facade.

She made her way back into the kitchen, where only Snow and Charming remained. Both were at the sink cleaning the breakfast dishes. Regina realized that she really wouldn't mind having a mindless task to distract herself with, and joined them at the sink.

"Can I help with that?" she asked Snow intently, using her gaze to demonstrate to Snow just how much she wished to have something to do. Snow and Charming exchanged a knowing glance, and Charming immediately withdrew from the soapy sink.

"Of course. I should be getting to the station anyways," he responded, drying his hands off with a dish towel and putting on his classic leather jacket.

"I'll see both of you tonight," Charming said, briefly pressing his lips against Snow's forehead, and lightly touching Regina's shoulder. Regina took a moment to be amused by the fact that if Charming had come within a five foot radius of her body two years before, he would have been charred to a crisp, whereas now she actually appreciated his friendly touch.

Regina heard the sound of the front door closing again, as her and Snow finished scrubbing the dishes and loading them in the dishwasher. Unfortunately, the over ambitious individuals currently taking up residence in her home appeared to be skilled at dishwashing, as there was very little for Regina to help with.

"You know, we aren't just staying with you because we're afraid you'll become the evil queen the second we turn our backs," Snow suddenly said, just as Regina sat back down at the kitchen table. Regina was surprised by her bold statement, although she wasn't fully convinced of its truth.

"Maybe that's precisely what you should be afraid of," Regina replied, chuckling with no hint of amusement. Of course Regina knew she was completely bluffing. Snow sighed.

"Regina, don't do that. Don't shut me out. I understand you not wanting to talk to Emma or David, and I understand that you don't want to upset Henry with your pain, but this is me. You know you can be honest with me," Snow said sternly, staring intensely at her. That much was certainly true. With the long and pained history between the two women, there really was nothing to hide from one another. Each had seen both the worst and the best of the other.

Regina was immediately angry with herself when she realized that she actually did yearn to let out some of her emotions to Snow. Snow's frustratingly sincere sympathy and endlessly loving aura were proving a formidable opponent to Regina's natural wall of strength and calmness around her heart.

Much to Regina's chagrin, she actually felt a swell of emotion rising in the back of her throat, and realized that if she didn't start talking, she would definitely start crying. And that certainly was not going to be permitted.

"It's just so horrible, Snow. Everything is just horrible, everywhere I look I see him. Everything is miserable because he's not there. Going to sleep at night is miserable because he's not there, and waking up in the morning is miserable because he's not there. I feel… physically burdened by this, like I'm caring around some huge weight on my shoulders, and I can't… I can't breathe! I can't breathe, I can't sleep, I can't eat, it's all just horrible and hopeless and I just don't think I can face life without him," Regina said, the words literally just tumbling out of her mouth in a very depressing sort of avalanche.

It seemed that Regina's outburst surprised both her and Snow. Regina was certain that Snow, let alone anyone at all, had seen her express her emotions in such a way, and she could see through Snow's extremely empathetic gaze that Regina's words pained her greatly.

"Regina… I hardly even know what to say. Other than that Robin did not deserve this, and neither did you," Snow replied softly, lightly touching Regina's hand. Regina gave a laugh of derision.

"Didn't I? I feel like the horrible karma from my past brought this on him. If Robin had just been with someone who deserved him-" Regina started sadly, before Snow cut her off.

"Don't you dare! Regina, he _loved_ you. You were soulmates-" Snow began to console her, before being interrupted by Regina this time.

"Oh, and that's the worst part, of course. We were soulmates. Robin Hood was practically advertised to me as my personal shot at happiness. He was my one true love, the one I was destined to be with. That kind of scraps the whole notion of potentially moving on, doesn't it?" Regina said snidely, laughing without any sort of humor. Snow closed her eyes sadly.

"I can understand why that would be daunting… but I just can't accept this, Regina. I can't accept that after all the wonderful change you've made in your life, letting love into your heart, and all the good that you've done, that this is the end for you. I simply can't accept that," Snow said thoughtfully.

"I don't believe the universe is so cruel. You may call me naive, but I don't believe that after all the good you've done, that the universe will continue to doll you a horrible hand. I don't accept that. Which is why… which is why I believe that this can be reversed," Snow said finally, after a very long pause.

Regina's eyes, which had been heavily fixated on the minuscule lines of the wood in the breakfast table, snapped up immediately. She was immediately infuriated that Snow would say something like that, how dare she get her hopes up like that?

"Stop. He's dead, Snow. His soul was _obliterated,_ it was literally wiped from the face of the Earth. I, personally, have never heard of someone coming back from that, have you?" Regina snapped angrily. Snow sighed.

"I know it's hard to hear, and of course, I could be wrong… I just don't understand how that can be. How can someone go from suddenly existing, to not existing. Rumplestiltskin has always said that you simply cannot destroy magic, and I can't imagine that a soul would be that much different. Which also got me thinking…" Snow trailed off, knowing that she had sufficiently gotten Regina's attention, whether she would admit it or not.

"By all means, Snow, continue speculating about the death of the love of my life, it's extremely helpful to my mental state," Regina snarked, becoming increasingly frustrated.

"I will, thank you. It got me thinking that you should talk to Rumplestiltskin about this. He seems to frustratingly know everything, why not go and ask him?" Snow said optimistically, becoming more and more excited at the idea of saving Robin Hood and helping Regina regain the happiness she deserved.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure that Rumple would be delighted to help me, we've always had such a wonderful relationship," Regina sneered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Wonderful? No. Complicated and sometimes almost lovely? Yes," Snow disagreed, smiling. Regina rolled her eyes again, in disbelief at Snow's audacity. It's not as though everyone had cosmic forces making sure that their lives worked out flawlessly, Regina couldn't help thinking bitterly.

"Quite frankly, Regina… What's the harm in asking? If you're right, nothing changes. If I'm right… You could have it all back," Snow said, leaning forward in her chair and staring at Regina intently. Damn it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Note: In this story, everything that happened after Robin's death (i.e. everything that happened in New York, and destruction of magic, and crystal being used as a tether) has not/will not happen. Also, Belle is still pregnant, but Rumple took her out of Pandora's box, so she's with him, pregnant (they are definitely still having relationship problems).**

 **Last chapter was really emotional, obviously, but this chapter won't be exactly like that, it'll be more plot driven.**

 **Also, I'm sorry for all the breaks in flow in this chapter, but I had to cram so many things and different conversations into it that it was almost impossible to make it all flow. Sorry about that!**

Regina viciously despised herself for this. It's not like she really believed that Snow's theory had any basis in reality, but she just couldn't shake her last point… what if? What if she really could fix everything? And just the mere thought of having Robin back with her was too much for her to ignore, no matter how implausible.

She approached Rumplestiltskin's shop wearily, very much dreading having to speak with him this way. She knew he was going to exploit her weakness as much as possible, and she absolutely hated the idea of letting him see her so fragile. But she also knew that she had no other option. He did, after all, 'frustratingly know everything'.

Regina, shivering slightly from the harsh cold, mindlessly pulled her black wool trench coat tighter around her body and, ignoring the obvious 'closed' sign on the window, reluctantly pushed open the door to his shop. The annoying bell rang, alerting Rumplestiltskin of her presence. She stood in the opening of the shop, glancing around at all the objects, as she waited for Rumple to emerge. She momentarily became fixated on one of the objects in the glass cases lining the walls, and she briefly turned her back to examine it.

"Why would I ever truly expect the blatantly obvious 'closed' sign on my door to actually keep out unwanted visitors?" Regina suddenly heard Rumple snark from behind the counter in the back of the shop. She rolled her eyes, and tried to prepare herself for just how unpleasant this was going to be.

"I need your help," Regina forced herself to say, attempting to sound at least somewhat forceful and intimidating. Not that intimidating Rumplestiltskin was ever possible, as he always remained aggravatingly still and impassive, calmly roasting everyone with sarcastic digs and logical pessimism.

Rumple raised his eyebrows.

"Naturally. And why on Earth would I agree to help you?" he replied, appearing annoyingly relaxed. For a brief second, Regina pondered how infinitely satisfying it would be to solidly punch him in the face. This thought brought her much comfort, and helped her through the conversation.

"Because I'm your best student," Regina tried. Rumple laughed rudely at that.

"That's debatable. Try again," he responded flippantly. Regina exhaled deeply, attempting to control her anger with the frustrating little imp.

"Snow White suggested that I ask for your help, because our relationship is 'complicated and sometimes almost lovely'," Regina said, speaking the quotation from Snow in an obnoxious sing-song tone of voice. Rumple laughed again.

"Well that one is just untrue," he said, staring at her menacingly. She knew that he could sense her desperation and just enjoyed watching her beg.

Regina also knew that this was getting her nowhere, and decided to just go full throttle and explain the entire issue to him. She prayed that, deep down, Snow was right and Rumple would come through for her. In the past, he had occasionally acted affectionally towards her, and all she could do was hope that he was still capable of doing so.

"Snow doesn't believe that Robin is really gone. She thinks that, somehow, there is a way for me to get him back. She doesn't believe that the universe could treat me so cruelly, after all the 'good changes I've made'. And, seeing as you always appear to have all the answers about all things magical and whimsical, you seemed like a good place to start in investigating her ridiculous theory," Regina explained, doing her very best not to portray her desperation in her voice. She attempted to distance herself from the hope that Snow's theory was correct, she needed Rumple to believe that she truly did think it was absurd. She knew that if he perceived her weakness, he would never agree to help her without a painfully high cost. And at the moment… She had nothing to offer.

Much to her frustration, Regina could not decipher Rumple's facial expression throughout her explanation. She searched for a sign of affection, or pity, or just any sort of emotion that she could use to her advantage. Naturally, she got nothing.

"Ah, so this is about Robin Hood. Of course, I should have known. I've been watching you become weak and dependent for some time now, I shouldn't be surprised by this. I do confess myself… Disappointed, though," Rumple said coldly. Regina knew that he really didn't mean what he said, she knew that he was just trying to get under her skin and hurt her. Unfortunately, he succeeded.

"And, besides, before you enter into a bargain with me, dearie, are you sure you want to do this for him? He did sleep with your sister behind your back and have a child with her, doesn't sound like a terrible loss to me…" Rumple trailed off, smirking contentedly at his own cleverness, knowing there was no possible way he had failed to upset her with that comment.

Upset was an understatement. Regina's heart sank, her skin crawled, and her blood boiled. Hearing Robin talked about in that way destroyed her. Not to mention the way it made her feel every time she was forced to think about Robin with another woman.

Regina lunged forward across the counter and grabbed the collar of Rumple's suit, glaring viciously at him.

"Listen, you disgusting little imp. I've lost everything, _again._ Now _really_ is not the time to be testing me-" Regina was in the middle of shouting venomously at him, when suddenly a very pregnant Belle emerged from the back of the shop.

"Whoa, what is going on?" Belle inquired anxiously. Rumple, having been smirking complacently the entire time, glanced briefly at Regina and then at Belle.

"Regina was just leaving," he said quietly, indirectly ordering Regina to leave his shop. Unfortunately for him, Regina had absolutely no intention of going anywhere.

"Actually, I wasn't," Regina replied almost immediately. She released Rumple's collar and stood normally on her side of the counter again, regaining her composure.

Regina had never much taken to Belle. She found her unending goody-too-shoes attitude to be unbearably obnoxious, and her constant references to books and the things she had learned from them to be equally as annoying. Not to mention the fact that she had chosen Rumplestiltskin as her lover, so God knows what that says about her actual intelligence. However, in this very moment, she had never been so thrilled to see her. Despite the fact that Rumple had never really made any true sacrifice for her when it counted, she did seem to possess considerable sway over his everyday behavior and small decisions.

"Rumple, what is going on?" Belle asked Rumple, seemingly upset by this exchange. For the first time, Regina saw emotion flicker across Rumple's face as he looked at Belle. He opened his mouth to respond to her, but Regina seized the opportunity to take advantage of Belle's easily obtainable sympathy and compassion.

"I am attempting to convince your husband to help me find a way to get Robin Hood back," Regina explained to Belle calmly, allowing herself to convey some of her grief. It was unfortunately easy to show her sadness to others, what was difficult was trying to hide it from them.

"Which is impossible!" Rumple interjected immediately, for the first time offering an actual opinion on the matter. Of course she had expected this response, she knew Robin was gone, but his statement still felt like being punched in the stomach by a prized fighter. It was as though she could physically feel her last strain of hope exiting her body, leaving her hollow and horrified.

"Wait a second, Regina, what makes you think there could be a way to bring him back?" Belle asked curiously, ignoring Rumple's pessimism, and staring intently at Regina. In that moment, Regina remembered that Belle and Robin had briefly been friends in the Enchanted Forest. She realized that, if there actually was a way, Belle would be a very valuable asset to winning over Rumple, due to her previous friendship with Robin.

"Absolutely nothing, simply that Snow White, for whom things have always worked out, didn't believe the universe could treat Regina so poorly after the way she's changed. Evidently, you neglected to teach little Snow White the notion that life's not fair in your time as her mother, Regina," Rumple sneered. Regina felt anger quickly rising in her, and she leaned forward again.

"I swear-" she started viciously, before Belle interrupted.

"Rumple, stop it," she scolded sternly, and Regina was surprised to see Rumple actually look like he might back down. If she wasn't here begging for his help, she definitely would have made fun of him for it.

"It's not like Snow is wrong, Rumple. Nobody in Storybook could deny the obvious ways of karma in this town, between the heroes and villains. And also, nobody in Storybook could possibly ignore all the good changes Regina had made in the past two years," Belle said, smiling briefly at Regina. For a second, Regina somewhat regretted disliking Belle so much before.

"Belle, sometimes there are forces more powerful than simple karma. This is the _Olympian crystal_ we're talking about, the literal weapon of the Gods…" Rumple trailed off, for the first time responding genuinely rather than sarcastically. Regina's heart sunk in her chest again, feeling that familiar logical pessimism of Rumple's set in.

"Yes, but there's no reason to take that as the be all end all. There isn't really a reason not to at least try and get to the bottom of this. I mean, how much do we all really know about this olympian crystal, anyways?" Belle continued thoughtfully. This was the first thing that actually slightly lifted Regina's spirits, and gave her some true passion for her cause. Regina considered that the only things they knew about the crystal were things that Hades had told them, and clearly he wasn't all that trustworthy.

"Well, among the fact that it happens to light up in a pretty blue color, we've also been told that it obliterates people from the face of the planet," Rumple replied sarcastically. Belle rolled her eyes, frustrated by her husband's dry humor.

"Yes, but Hades is the only person who told us that, and I can think of a few people that I trust more than him," Regina argued. For a moment she made eye contact with Rumple, and as she held his stare, she attempted to show him how much she was hurting. She knew that it wouldn't affect him the way it affected Belle, but she really needed him to at least understand how serious this was for her. She had to make him understand that this was all she had to hold onto, and if she lost it… She would have nothing.

Regina saw in his returned gaze that he was at least a little bit moved by her plight. He sighed.

"Regina, you're grasping at straws-" Rumple started.

"Rumple… please, these straws are all I have. I'm asking… begging you for your help. Please," Regina whispered.

"Alright, I'll tell you what I know in exchange for… what?" Rumple replied, all prior traces of empathy disappearing. Regina panicked a little, knowing she had nothing at all to offer that could really interest him.

"No. No deals. You will help her," Belle interrupted firmly, surprising both Rumple and Regina with her forcefulness.

"And why am I going to do that?" Rumple replied immediately, but it wasn't exactly like he was arguing with her, it was more like he was genuinely curious.

"You will help her because it's the right thing to do. And because I'm asking you to," Belle replied simply.

—

Regina returned to her home around two in the afternoon. Snow was seated in the living room, giving Neal a bottle.

"Well? What did he say?" Snow asked eagerly, upon Regina's return. Regina raised her eyebrows at Snow's excitement.

"Calm down, Neal is going to drown if you squeeze that bottle any harder," Regina quipped affectionately at Snow. Snow rolled her eyes, but she actually was delighted by Regina's dig at her. It was lovely to see some life in Regina, even if just for a second.

"Be nice. Sit down, and tell me what he said," Snow replied, lightly patting the seat next to her on the couch.

"Well, as predicted, he was very reluctant to help me, and I can't say I would have gotten his help without Belle, who, surprisingly, really does have considerable power over him," Regina took a moment to muse, as she sat down next to Snow.

"Essentially, all Rumple could tell me was that the only person who would know anything about the crystal and how it works would be Hades' brother, Zeus," Regina finally said. Snow nodded slowly, attempting to process this information.

"Well, that's good news, isn't it? It wasn't a definite no," Snow said optimistically. Regina sighed.

"Perhaps. But it was miles away from any real sign of hope," she responded quietly. Snow lightly touched Regina's hand, sensing her depression returning.

"Still, then you need to find Zeus and find out everything you can!" Snow pressed.

"That's easier said than done, Snow. He is the king of the Gods, I assume he's a decently busy guy," Regina snapped, standing up again so she could pace around the room.

"Regina, I know you're going to want to kill me for saying this, but… Zeus is the one who sent Hook back to Emma… He must be somewhat compassionate to have done that," Snow offered gently.

Regina laughed coldly at that. What didn't Snow understand about the way the universe worked when it came to someone like Regina, and someone like Emma?

"Well, I'm not Emma, Snow. And I find that things often work out differently for the two of us," Regina snarked. Snow sighed.

"Regardless… What did Rumple say about how you could find Zeus?" Snow asked calmly.

"Nothing, because he doesn't know. He said that he would look into it, and that I should come see him again tomorrow," Regina responded sadly, sitting back down next to Snow.

Realizing that she would again have to spend the night without Robin, she felt the horrible gaping pain of his absence again seizing her. She had been temporarily distracted from it when she had been arguing with Rumple and theorizing about potentially finding Robin again. She felt the gradually more familiar ache in her chest as she began to miss him unbearably. Images of his ruggedly handsome face began to flash across her mind, and her eyes almost involuntarily flickered shut. She began to imagine how indescribably amazing it would feel to have his strong arms wrap around her and just… hold her as she allowed herself to cry. How it would feel to have him kiss her, and touch her, and…

"What are you thinking about?" Snow asked Regina softly, snapping her out of her sudden, wishful daydream.

"Nothing, sorry," Regina answered too quickly.

"You miss him," Snow said. It wasn't a question, it was stated as a matter of fact. It was the understatement of the millennium, but certainly was correct.

"I'm fine," Regina responded flippantly.

"You're not, and it would probably be much easier for you if you would stop trying to pretend that you were, you're not fooling anyone anyways. Regina, I've told you before that you feel things, deeply. Use those feelings, use the horrible pain you're feeling right now to help drive you to find Robin Hood! We both certainly have personal experience with just how strong your feelings can be, _use_ them," Snow encouraged Regina passionately.

—-

After Regina picked Henry up from school, which was a much needed spot of happiness in the midst of all her sadness, she helped Snow make dinner. As mentioned earlier, the Charmings, Emma and Henry seemed to have made Regina's home theirs for the time being, and all were to be in attendance at dinner.

Regina was unsure whether or not she should fill the others in on her dealings with Rumplestiltskin, seeing as she really did not wish to have everyone asserting their opinions into her business, or worse, offering their help. But on the other hand, she knew there was no way the secret would remain hidden for long, as Snow would certainly tell Charming, who would certainly tell Emma, who would certainly tell Henry. Not that Regina wished to keep secrets from Henry, she just hated to have him burdened with her suffering. She knew how much it hurt him to see her in pain, so no matter what Snow said about being honest about how much she was hurting, she never would really let her guard down, for Henry's sake. So until she could be absolutely sure that this wild theory had any hope of success, she didn't want to burden Henry with it.

David and Emma came home from the station together, just as all the food was being finished by Snow and Regina and set out by Henry.

As dinner progressed uneventfully, Regina was thrilled to conclude that Snow obviously had not yet told David about her conversation with Rumple, as no one mentioned it.

However, the ignorance of the others clearly was not meant to last very long, because just as dinner was concluding, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Emma offered, as she was already on her way to the door. Regina's interest was not particularly peaked by the unknown visitor, and she began to clear the dishes with Henry.

"Good evening, Ms. Swan," Regina suddenly heard Rumplestiltskin's calm, eery voice say coolly. She almost dropped the plate she was handling in the sink at the sound of it, knowing that he must only be here with information about Robin.

Regina immediately made her way towards the front door. She was received by a very suspicious glance from Emma.

"It's Rumplestiltskin…" Emma trailed off uncertainly.

"Yes, thank you, Ms. Swan, I may have lost my boyfriend but I seem to have maintained my eyesight," Regina snapped. Emma rolled her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, Gold?" Emma asked, cutting through all the formalities. It was clear that she very much disliked being out of the loop.

"Yes, what _are_ you doing here?" Regina asked him, arching one dark eyebrow at him. Rumple smirked, displaying his usual air of sarcasm, disinterest, and superiority in the fact that he knew something everyone else didn't.

"To see you, of course! I have some information for you," Rumple replied. Regina's heart leapt in her chest.

"Information?" Emma asked confusedly, looking back and forth between Regina and Rumplestiltskin quickly, trying to process the situation.

"I've found a way for you to find Zeus."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **AN: Yeet, thank you guys so much for the follows and reviews, pretty please keep it up, it's so encouraging! I'm enjoying writing this so much, it makes me feel better to keep Robin and OQ alive in my own way, I hope you guys feel hope for them through this too, that's why I'm writing it! Anyways, thanks for the support, share with everyone ya know! Love y'all!**

"You went to _Rumplestiltskin_ for help?!" Emma exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell us first?" Charming asked, seemingly dumbfounded.

"Mom… You could've talked to me about this…" Henry trailed off, appearing to be genuinely hurt that Regina had not confided her plans in him.

Regina exhaled in exasperation at this multitude of unfriendly reactions. She decided to address Henry first, as she could never truly be annoyed with him. She walked over to him, and took both his hands in hers, staring earnestly into his offended, brown  
eyes.

"Henry, I didn't speak to you about this prior to talking to your grandfather because, firstly, it didn't become an idea until this morning after you'd left for school. And secondly, I know you want to be there for me, and I can't express to you how much  
your support means to me, but I will never be able to talk with you honestly about my emotional pain," Regina explained to him. Henry opened his mouth to contradict her, but Regina continued: "It's not that I don't trust you, or don't value your opinion  
and input, it's just that… You're my son, and I value your emotional wellbeing much more than my own, and I could never burden you that way. The last thing I want is for you to be focusing on my problems. It is my job, and my greatest joy in life,  
to take care of and protect you. From everything. Please try to understand."

Henry smiled at his mother lovingly, feeling very special at how much she clearly loved him and valued his happiness.

"I understand," he said, smiling softly. Regina and Henry briefly embraced, before she turned to address Emma and Charming in a much less affectionate manner.

"And the two of you… with all due respect, get over yourselves. This isn't about either of you, this is about Robin Hood. And me," she said fiercely. Charming raised his eyebrows, surprised at being put in his place in such a way. To his right, Regina  
saw Snow fighting to suppress laughter at her two family members being chastised so harshly.

"Alright fine, but seriously, Regina, _Rumplestiltskin_?" Emma pressed, seemingly baffled at Regina's chosen confidante. Regina was similarly confused as to why Emma was so fixated on this point. Obviously Rumple wasn't her first choice, it wasn't  
like there were all that many people with unlimited magical knowledge in the world.

"Yes, Emma, because Rumplestiltskin obviously would be my go-to guy for emotional support! It certainly has nothing to do with the fact that he knows everything concerning magic," Regina snapped at Emma. Emma opened her mouth to retort, before Rumplestiltskin  
interjected.

"As _lovely_ as it is to be in the company of such beloved family and friends all lovingly singing my praises, could we put this love fest on hold so that I can disclose the information that I came to share with Regina?" Rumple, who had been leaning  
casually against the counter throughout this argument, snarked.

"Yes. Sorry. Please share," Regina said forcefully, closing the forum for discussion. Everyone was silent.

"Well, clearly the information you sought was surprisingly easy to obtain, as I'm here approximately eight hours earlier than anticipated. Zeus' location is wonderfully logical. He's simply on Mount Olympus with the other Gods and Goddesses," Rumple explained.  
Regina raised her eyebrows, feeling slightly annoyed with the simplicity of this information. She could have guessed that herself and spared herself having to bring Rumplestiltskin into the matter at all.

"Mount Olympus? That's a real place?" Emma asked confusedly. Regina rolled her eyes, momentarily trying to tally up in her mind how many times she had heard Emma ask that question.

"Ms. Swan, do you think you'll ever be able to fight the urge to ask that question?" Rumple asked her pointedly. Emma rolled her eyes. Regina briefly appreciated being in the company of someone with a wit on par with hers.

"Yeah, I guess you'd think I would know by now… Still, I'm not sure I understand why Zeus' location is relevant," Emma stated, looking back and forth between Rumple and Regina. It was obvious that everyone else in the room, other than Snow and Rumple,  
was wondering the exact same thing.

"He's the only other living entity with knowledge concerning the olympian crystal," Rumple replied simply. That put it in perspective for everyone. Regina felt five sets of eyes burning into her as they all began to understand why she needed information  
about Zeus' whereabouts. She flushed slightly, feeling extremely uncomfortable with everyone being made aware of just how extremely vulnerable and desperate she was feeling.

"You're trying to find out if there's a way to bring Robin back," Charming said conclusively, clearly thinking aloud. Regina didn't want to respond to this blatant stating of the obvious. She could sense the disapproval radiating from both Charming and  
Emma, but only Emma was brave enough to verbalize it.

"Regina… I'm truly sorry to have to be the one to say this, but you saw him die… You know what happened…" Emma trailed off hesitantly, knowing that she was absolutely playing with fire here. Regina's eyes snapped up from the ground she had been intently  
staring at to meet Emma's ferociously.

"Really, are you sure I was there for that? It's not as though the memory of Robin stepping in front of that crystal to save me, his soul being _ripped_ from his body and disappearing into thin air in front of me, and holding his dead body in my  
arms, is permanently _branded_ into my mind!" Regina practically shouted, infuriated at Emma's complete lack of compassion and common sense. She really did have that Charming family trait of stating the obvious at precisely the wrong moments.

Emma looked away, knowing she had been out of line. Nevertheless, she spoke again.

"Regina, I know, I'm sorry, that was insensitive. I just meant…. I just mean that I think this seems horribly counterproductive to helping you move on, and-" Emma tried to explain herself. Regina cut her off furiously.

"Quite frankly, Emma, considering the fact that I just spent the last month of my life in the _Underworld_ helping you extract Hook from the deepest pits of hell, and that that is the reason we encountered Hades in the first place, the _least_ you  
can do here is be supportive," Regina said coldly, cleanly shutting Emma down.

Regina had no doubt in her mind that she was right, and everyone else was out of line for questioning her. She realized that she was actually quite angry at this complete lack of support. It's not like she hadn't made sacrifices for these people before,  
and it's not like Robin hadn't done everything in his power to help them when he could. He deserved their help, and honestly, so did she. And she knew it.

Emma, along with everyone else, was silent for a good few seconds, as the sheer accuracy of Regina's words set in. Regina could see in Emma's face that she had seriously struck a nerve.

"You're… so right, Regina. I'm so sorry. What can we do to help?" Emma said finally, staring earnestly at Regina.

"I'm not sure there's much to help with, quite frankly," Rumple said, speaking again for the first time in a few minutes. Regina's voice caught in her throat, terrified at what he meant by that. Was he saying there was nothing that could be done?

"What do you mean by that?" Snow asked Rumple confusedly, which was good because Regina found herself momentarily incapable of speaking.

"I mean that a mortal can't just waltz up to Mount Olympus, and demand answers about their most revered weapon…" Rumple scoffed, raising his eyebrows. Regina pondered that for a moment.

"But… There is a way?" she asked slowly, trying to slice through his cryptic words.

"Yes. But I don't have the answers for you yet. Belle is insisting that I find them, so I will update you when I have them," Rumple said, much more politely than Regina was accustomed to. With that comment, he surprised them all by simply disappearing  
in a puff of his trademark red smoke.

—-

Regina was standing outside on her upstairs balcony, staring out aimlessly into Storybrook. The viciously chilled wind nipped at her skin, leaving her face raw and exposed. The cold was invigorating to her, however, and she liked the way it was clearing  
her mind.

Regina felt that the past week had sort of been like a dream for her, hazy and slow moving and just overall unfamiliar. She felt like it hadn't been real, she had spent pretty much of all of it submerged in such an intense cloud of emotional turmoil and  
numbness that she had almost lost touch with reality. But standing on this balcony in the freezing nighttime air, she could feel her senses clearing and she felt very alive.

Regina wondered, however, if this temporary clarity was stemming from the fact that she now felt like there might be some slight hope for Robin. Even though she was yet to receive any sort of real confirmation that there was anything to negate Hades'  
words about the crystal, the notion of just merely having a lead to pursue was almost resuscitating her. This resuscitation was short lived, however, as Regina then made the mistake of thinking about what would happen if nothing came from this lead…

She thought back to the first night after Robin died. Of course she had refused to let anyone see it, or comfort her, but she had spent the entire night sobbing hopelessly in her bedroom. She felt as though someone had punched a hole through her chest,  
and her whole body ached, like all of her vital organs had been violently ripped from her. She remembered the way all the oxygen in the room seemed to be evading her as she desperately gasped for air in the midst of her unrelenting sobs. She couldn't  
stop picturing the way Robin had taken the bolt for her, without any hesitation at all, and how horrible it was to see his body paralyzed in a blue flash as his soul was ripped away and destroyed. The way his immobilized soul had momentarily reached  
out to hers… And before she could grab onto his hand to desperately try and keep him with her, he had disappeared. She pictured herself cradling his dead body in her arms… His handsome face peacefully resting, his strong body rendered frozen forever,  
involuntary tears slipping uncontrollably down her face as she held him. Regina didn't think she would ever be able to efface these memories from her mind, no matter how hard she tried.

As she considered this absolutely agonizing memory, Regina suddenly realized that a very small, very petty part of her felt _angry_ at Robin for this. She had _ordered_ him not to sacrifice himself for her, and he had done it anyways. If he  
had just let Hades kill her, like she'd asked, she wouldn't be living with this horrible pain and emptiness. She would just be dead. She would have died knowing that when her time arrived, she had everything she'd ever wanted. A man she loved deeply,  
and who returned her love. A son she adored, who equally cherished her. Friends she had grown to love, who accepted her for her darkness and, even more so, her light. She had a family. Regina considered painfully that for a very brief time… she'd  
had it all. And she hadn't even been able to appreciate it. Her and Robin could hardly find time to even think about their future, between all of Storybrook's invasions, all the curses, her insane sister, and the general misfortunes of her friends.  
She'd had everything she'd ever wanted, and she hadn't even had time to _realize_ it, before it had all been brutally ripped away from her.

If nothing came from this lead, Regina had no remote idea how she would continue on. As she tried to picture herself moving forward with her life, and just falling back into an everyday routine… her entire mind kept going blank. She could picture nothing.  
This uncertainty terrified her. Most likely because, deep down, she knew there was not a future for her anymore. Not without Robin.

Much to her frustration, she realized that the only thing that could possibly comfort her right now was the sound of Robin's voice. Most recently she had been working diligently to try and block out her memories of him, of his face, of their time together.  
She found that it allowed her to exist in a much more manageable state of numbness, which allowed her to interact better with others and present a more believable facade of calmness and peace to the public. However, right now, just for a moment, she  
realized that she _needed_ to think of him. She needed him to calm her down, even if it was just through a memory, as he had always been able to do. Even their smallest moments were exactly what she needed…

 _"You're going to wear out the masonry if you keep pacing," Robin chided lightly, as Regina anxiously paced back and forth across the room, considering the situation from all possible negative angles.(Robin, meanwhile, considered Reginafrom all angles.)Robin's voice distracted her for a moment._

 _"I'm sure David and Mary Margaret are fine," Robin added soothingly. Although he was off the mark on what she was worried about, she relaxed just knowing that he was concerned about her._

 _"You think I'm worried about them? Those two could outlive a cockroach," Regina said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. The ghost of a smile formed on Robin's mouth, as he fought the urge to laugh at her sarcasm. He rarely expressed his adoration of this specific trait of hers, but he was infinitely charmed by her constant wittiness and strong exterior._

 _"I want to know how their test went… I get antsy when I don't know who I should hate," Regina continued, looking over at Robin again, who was casually leaning against the fire place as he watched her walking back and forth._

 _Robin knew it was completely the wrong time to be fixating on how utterly beautiful Regina was, but he found himself incapable of thinking about anything else. As she paced back and forth in her very form fitting red dress, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders… He literally could not take his eyes off of her, nor could he stop thinking about all the things he would have preferred to be doing with her…_

 _Regina knew it was completely the wrong time to be considering how unbearably handsome Robin looked, with his back easily resting against the wall. Of course, she was antsy at the current situation in Camelot, but she found herself momentarily… Distracted by Robin. Even she couldn't be strong and focused all the time… She considered how satisfying it would be to just press him against that wall and…-_

 _Of course, Snow and Charming chose that exact moment to enter the room._

— _-_

 _"Did the plan work?" Robin's accented voice called to her across the small space of forest between them._

 _"That depends… Is it still here?" Regina asked anxiously._

 _"Right where you left it," Robin replied immediately, reaching down to retrieve it for her. Regina heaved a sigh of relief. But she wasn't truly surprised. She just… knew that Robin Hood was the only person who could have kept her heart safe. A quiet yet very prominent voice in her mind kept assuring her that Robin was exactly who she needed to trust._

 _"Then it worked," Regina breathed happily, as she watched Robin digging up her heart._

 _"I just needed to find the one thing I had that Zelena didn't," Regina continued mindlessly, thinking aloud._

 _"And what exactly was that?" Robin questioned curiously, extending his arm containing her heart out to her. As he held out his hand, Regina was again frozen in fear at the clear lion tattoo on his wrist. Her heart seemed to stop, her voice caught in her throat, and she felt momentarily completely paralyzed. Of course, she had already seen the tattoo. Obviously it wasn't a fear of body ink that spurred her to this level of terror, it was what the body ink entailed… She knew what really scared her wasn't even what she knew about the tattoo… It was how she felt about it. She could feel it in her entire being, every fiber of her body was telling her that it really was him. She knew it in the way she was drawn to him. In the way she was attracted to him. In the way that voice continually promised her he was trustworthy. She could feel that he really was the one she was destined to be with._

 _"Our heartless mother," Regina responded after a moment, finally finding her momentarily hindered voice, just as Robin placed her heart back in her hand. Robin looked slightly disturbed by these words, which was understandable as most people might be slightly bothered by the idea of casually ripping out hearts and walking around without them._

 _Regina elected to move the conversation along so that Robin didn't have to think about that too much._

 _"My sister was right about something. She said I don't always realize what I have right in front of me," Regina said thoughtfully, chuckling lightly as Robin stood up again. He was considerably taller than her, yet not dauntingly so, she noticed (not for the first time). She liked it._

 _"What's that?" Robin asked her, staring earnestly into her eyes. Much to her chagrin, Regina again found herself temporarily helpless, as she was completely entranced by the way Robin was looking at her. Her mind went blank for a brief second as she stared into his clear blue eyes, before she was able to regain her composure._

 _"Just that I didn't always appreciate things," She replied quickly, staring back at Robin, who was still heavily gazing at her. He was looking at her as though he was taking everything about her face into his mind, like he was memorizing it. This scared her. But even more so… she loved it._

 _She found herself taking his hand in hers and pressing the bag containing her heart back into his._

 _"Would you mind holding onto this for a bit longer?" she asked breathlessly, looking into his eyes still. Robin appeared floored by this question._

 _"You're really going to entrust something so valuable to a common thief like me?" Robin asked her doubtfully. Regina was horrified to realize that the only thing she wanted to respond with was how she couldn't imagine giving her heart to anyone else._

 _"You can't steal something that's been given to you," she replied softly, leaning in a bit closer and smiling at him. He immediately reciprocated her smile, which made her stomach drop in the most amazing way possible._

 _Regina forced herself to turn away, and begin to walk off._

 _"You still owe me that drink!" Robin called after her. Regina's heart fluttered uncontrollably._

 _"Yes, I suppose I do."_

—

 _"_ Regina?" Emma suddenly was calling out from behind her. Regina forced herself to snap out of her blissful memories, opening her eyes again. This might have been for the best, the sheer force of Robin's absence in everything but her memories  
was definitely beginning to take hold of her again.

"Good evening, Ms. Swan. Isn't it past your bedtime?" Regina responded dryly, not bothering to turn around and look at her. There was no real need to be looking at Emma, Regina was quite familiar with her mannerisms and responses to sarcasm at this point.  
Emma walked up beside Regina on the balcony.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you-" Emma began, before Regina cut her off.

"Aren't you always?" Regina asked, smirking, but her words weren't malicious. Emma sighed, and let out a small laugh in spite of herself.

"I just… I wanted to apologize. Really, truly apologize. What you said earlier… You were right. And I know that I can't take it back, or change the past, but I want you to know that I would if I could. I never should have brought you all into my problem,  
it was selfish, and I had no right. And the fact that I had the audacity to question you for trying to get Robin back after what I just got back from doing-" Emma babbled on, before Regina stopped her.

"Emma, stop. Yes, what I said earlier is true, and I won't say I'm sorry for saying it, but I am sorry that it's causing you to take the weight of this onto your shoulders. You are not responsible for Robin's…" Regina trailed off, suddenly finding herself  
unable to say aloud that Robin was dead. This was new, seeing as she hadn't had any trouble admitting this fact up to this point. But she now couldn't stand to say it aloud, it was as though stating it as a fact undermined her newfound hope. And that  
was definitely something she was not ready for.

"Regina… please try not to hate me for saying this, but I really do understand how you feel," Emma said softly. Regina did expect to hate Emma for saying this, but she also realized that Emma actually was quite possibly the only person in her life who  
could somewhat relate to losing the love of her life.

"That's true. However, I have difficultly mustering any interest in your advice, seeing as you can go home to your handless wonder anytime you want," Regina replied simply. Emma sighed.

"I know. I know it's not fair, and that you don't deserve this. And that's why I'm here right now. I came up here to tell you that I _am_ going to help you do everything you can to get Robin back. I can't live with myself if I don't, I can't stand  
looking at you and seeing you this way," Emma said firmly, as though nothing Regina said would change her mind. This was probably true, honestly, Emma was about as stubborn as Regina. Regina, however, found herself most interested in the last thing  
Emma had said.

"And what way am I looking, Ms. Swan?" Regina asked, looking straight ahead rather than at Emma.

"Depressed. Empty. _Broken,_ " Emma replied quietly. Regina was disappointed to find out that she was not hiding her grief as well as she'd initially thought.

"I'm sorry my grief is distressing to you," Regina said bitterly, attempting to distance herself from Emma's compassion and retreat back into her shell of numbness. Emma sighed again.

"Regina… I am going to hate myself for saying this if we don't get Robin back, but I'm going to risk it, because I believe that there has to be a way. Regina, you and Robin deserve to be together, nobody could ever be what he was for you. The way you  
two were together, there wasn't anybody who didn't know it. The world is… worse off without the two of you in it," Emma said gently. Regina was quite perplexed by the way Emma was so clearly expressing her feelings right now, as Emma was usually as  
guarded with her emotions as Regina was.

"Please stop, Emma. I appreciate your sudden sentiment, I really do, but considering that I probably won't ever see Robin again, it really is not helpful to tell me how perfect for one another we were. As if I don't know…" Regina said, suddenly seized  
by another wave of pain. She knew it was time for her to be alone again, if she stayed much longer, Emma's sympathy was going to break down her wall of strength, she would cry, and she would rather throw herself off the balcony than that happen. Obviously,  
Emma also inherited the keen ability to break down Regina's walls from her mother.

"I appreciate your help. I promise to fill you all in as soon as Rumplestiltskin tells me what to do. Goodnight, Ms. Swan," Regina said conclusively, leaving Emma alone on the balcony and retreating into her bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **A/N: Thanks to those of you reviewing and following, it means a lot. Tell everyone you know about this fanfic, it is so much more fun to write when you know people are reading what you're writing.**

 **So I know it's probably getting annoying how depressing this story is, as Regina misses Robin Hood so much and everyone walks on eggshells around her because Regina in pain is the absolute worst, but fear not, I expect Regina and Robin Hood to be reunited by next chapter! So bear with me lovelies. This chapter definitely isn't going to be the best writing, I find that I'm not very good at all at writing plot driven things, I'm only good at writing emotional stuff, so try not to be too disgusted by my poor writing skills here:)**

 **—**

"I'm sorry, run that by me again… I need to pray to the shrine of Zeus? What, do I just fly to ancient Greece and ask his secretary if I can speak to him?" Regina scoffed, upon hearing Rumple's new information about contacting Zeus. Not that Regina wouldn't do anything and everything that was necessary to get Robin Hood back, but this just seemed absurd.

Rumple sighed irritably at her response.

"This is wonderfully reminiscent of when I was attempting to teach you magic. As usual, _you're not listening_ to what I'm saying," Rumple sneered in response. Regina glared at him, but was secretly very glad she had misunderstood.

"Enlighten me then, please," Regina snapped back, growing frustrated, as she normally did when interacting with Rumplestiltskin.

"What's important, Regina, isn't _where_ you speak to him. It's what you say, and the way in which you say it that will draw his attention," Rumple replied, sighing again. Regina nodded slowly, attempting to process this information.

"And what is it that I need to say, and in what way must I say it?" Regina asked, her tone laced with sarcasm, arching one perfect eyebrow.

"Essentially, I believe that in order to catch his eye… You need to plead your case," Rumpled said simply. Regina cocked her head to the side confusedly, not quite understanding.

"I'm basing that mostly on what happened with Hook. Zeus intervened on his behalf when he felt that Hook was being treated unjustly. Hook, like you, was once a villain, and made considerable reform in his life, and fell in love with a hero. Zeus clearly valued that and didn't see fit that he should die after the way he was working to do good. So, I believe that if you can convince Zeus that you also suffered injustice at the hand of Hades, despite all the good you've done, that he will appear to you, as he did to Hook," Rumple explained fully. Regina nodded again, considering his reply.

"That makes sense. But what doesn't make sense is where I'm supposed to 'plead my case'… How do I know that he's listening to me?" Regina asked. Rumple, who was standing behind his counter, turned his back to Regina and opened up the picture frame/compartment in the wall behind him. Regina waited as he unlocked the safe within it.

After retrieving what he needed, Rumple turned back around and placed a beautiful blue crystal necklace on the counter in front of her. The chain was an authentic, shimmery silver, while the pendant was a beautiful, periwinkle crystal. Despite it's beauty, however, Regina had no idea what the hell the necklace's relevance was.

"Pretty. Did Belle get that for you?" Regina couldn't resist snarking. Rumple raised an eyebrow, as if questioning her judgement. Regina knew now really wasn't the time to be engaging in a battle of sarcasm with Rumple, seeing as he was doing her a massive favor.

"Have I ever told you how hilarious you are? It makes up for your average, at best, magical abilities," Rumple snapped in response, clearly not amused. Regina ignored his dig.

"Sorry. So, what exactly am I supposed to do with this necklace?" Regina asked nicely. Rumple ran his fingers along the chain for a moment before responding.

"Fortunately for you, I don't believe you have to go all the way to Greece to be close to Zeus… There happens to be a very detailed museum, which happens to contain a small replica of a shrine of Zeus in the mythology exhibit, right here in Storybook. Lucky for you that you took such excellent care to instill ancient historical culture in our little town, Madame Mayor," Rumple said, smirking. Regina rolled her eyes and externally portrayed annoyance with Rumple's antics, but internally… She was singing his praises.

"And the necklace?" Regina asked curiously.

"Well, you didn't think you could just schedule a meeting with Zeus without having anything to offer, did you? I believe that in order to get his attention, in addition to explaining your predicament, that you have to present something of true value to his altar, as mortals did in greek mythology," Rumple explained. Regina took a brief moment to be interested in how little Rumple appeared to actually know for certain about this. She was used to the aggravating little imp to be a seemingly bottomless fountain of wisdom on all things concerning magic.

"What value does this necklace hold, might I ask? I can't imagine it's very high if you're handing it over to the likes of me without asking for a price," Regina asked pointedly. Rumple chuckled lightly.

"Believe me, this necklace is worth plenty, and if it weren't for my abundantly generous wife… You certainly would not be receiving it," Rumple responded rudely. Regina made a mental note to profusely thank Belle as soon as all of this was over. Who knew what a strong hold she actually did have over Rumple?

"I see. And how did it come into your possession?" Regina inquired. Rumple laughed again.

"You ask too many questions. You now know what you need to do, so I suggest that you do it," Rumple said elusively, placing the necklace in Regina's hand and glancing at his door. Regina was momentarily aggravated by the truth to that statement. She really didn't give a damn where the necklace came from or what it was worth or in what disgusting manner Rumple had obtained it… She had it, and if Belle had anything to say about it, it was enough.

—-

"So, Rumple believes that if you explain to Zeus what's happened, while at a slightly emasculated version of his altar, and offer this random necklace as some weird sacrificial ritual, about which we know nothing,… that he'll just magically appear to you and tell you what to do?" Emma questioned slowly, doing nothing to conceal her skepticism. Emma was still very unreceptive to the notion of asking Rumplestiltskin for help, and doubted that any of his advice could be trusted without involving a far too costly price.

Of course, Emma was asking this question in the middle of Regina's kitchen, which was also filled with (besides Regina, obviously) Snow, David, and Henry. This procession had scarcely moved from Regina's home in the past 24 hours, since Rumple had illuminated Regina's secret yet not so secret plans for them. With the exception of Henry being forced to attend school, Regina doubted they had moved substantially since she had departed earlier that morning to speak to Rumple again. But, not that she'd ever really admit it, their devotion to her cause was very moving. And their support made her optimistic. Not that optimism was actually a term in Regina's vocabulary, of course.

"That's what he said, yes, Ms. Swan," Regina responded, rolling her eyes.

"He really thinks that will work?" Emma asked doubtfully. This was certainly a question Regina had considered several times already. But she finally had to accept that she couldn't think of anything that Rumple stood to gain by misleading her, other than a very angry wife. And, as it had been pointed out… She really didn't have any another option.

"That's what he said," Regina repeated hardly, growing increasingly tired of the interrogation.

"And what do you think, Regina?" Snow piped in for the first time. Regina was silent for a long moment before she responded, actually pondering Snow's question.

"I think it's the only option that I have."

—

Regina had to admit… a sizable part of her felt extremely foolish doing this. She stood in front of the replicated shrine of Zeus, which was obviously considerably smaller than the authentic one, feeling extremely unsure of how to begin having a heart to heart with a lifeless statue. She stood with her hands in the pockets of her long, black trench coat, staring up at the structure before her. Her fingers instinctively curled around the chain of the necklace in her right pocket as she tried to concoct some perfectly melodramatic and cinematic way of beginning her literal prayer to the gods.

Naturally, Regina had possessed the foresight to call the museum ahead of time and order them to close down the mythology exhibit for the day, so that she could have the room to herself. The last thing she needed was for the members of Storybrook to think that she was so pathetically racked with grief and pitiably lonely that she had resorted to discussing her emotional issues with inanimate statues of gods.

"Well… If you're really a god and the psychotic imp's theory has any truth to it at all, you're watching me struggle here trying to find a way to start talking, which makes me feel slightly less awkward…" Regina began uncomfortably. However, much to her bewilderment, she found that once she started talking, the words actually began to flow from her.

"I'm sure you already know why I'm here, but I'm just going to tell you anyways. I'm here about Robin Hood… he died last week. Your brother, Hades, killed him. He sacrificed himself for me. He threw himself in front of the olympian crystal Hades was intending to use on me. I told him he could let me die, that it was okay, but he took it for me anyways. So that gives a pretty clear representation of the kind of man he was… Robin was… kind. He was unendingly generous. He was a wonderful friend. So good, in fact, that he had a whole _band_ of devoted followers, who would have sacrificed their lives for him, like he did for me. He was an amazing friend, and an even better father. He was truly noble, he devoted his whole life to his mission of helping the poor and weak. He saw the good in everyone… Even me. He found a way to give me a second chance, to see the good in me, knowing all the horrible things that I did in the past. He loved me. And he died because of it," Regina found herself suddenly emptying the contents of her heart. To an inanimate object. She was crying, she'd started pretty much the second she'd admitted out loud that Robin was dead. She hadn't allowed herself to really cry since that first night… And, similar to her words, once she started, she couldn't seem to make herself stop.

"All I've ever wanted… is to be happy. I've spent my whole life looking for happiness, and trying to force it to come to me. But the one thing I was always afraid of was that if I let myself fall in love with someone again… that my happiness would be contingent on someone else. And, since Robin came into my life… I've never been able to admit that I did let myself become dependent on him. I always saw that as a weakness, as something to be ashamed of. So when he was with me, I sometimes pushed him away, or tried to keep our relationship in the same place forever, never moving forward, never talking about the future… because I was afraid of needing him. But now… Now I see that truly sharing your life with someone… is not a weakness. Letting myself lean on Robin Hood, and share myself with him… was what I was missing all along, it's what I needed most. I could have had it all. I have a son, who loves me. I have friends who see me for what I am, and somehow love me despite my horrible past. I had Robin Hood. I had everything I ever wanted, and I was never able to let myself have it. To really experience it. And I would give anything… to be able to change that," Regina continued on. She wasn't really sure where all of these words were coming from, and she was slightly embarrassed at her complete lack of eloquence in this moment. But she couldn't imagine anything else she could possibly say or do would be more convincing than this.

"But now that I've lost him… I can't deny that my happiness _is_ contingent on him. How could my life ever be fulfilled again without him? It's not like he's just some random guy I fell for, he's my _soul mate_ , the one that I'm 'destined to be with'… How am I supposed to come back from losing that? I don't think I can, and I just… I don't want to. I simply don't have the strength to get through any more darkness and tragedy in my life. I have done everything in my power to try and right my wrongs, and be a truly good person… A person worthy of happiness. And I'm my own biggest critic, and I'll never forgive myself for all of the horrible things I did, but… Everyone else in my life has. And I can't help but be angry that the universe is still taking things from me, even after I've worked so hard to do good, and change myself. I feel like I can't win, and it's… very depressing, quite frankly," Regina was saying, as she continued to cry. Her cries weren't really huge, dramatic, weeping sobs. More like silent, involuntary, purely melancholy _,_ tears endlessly rolling down her face.

At that moment, she pulled the necklace out of her right pocket, and moved forward to place it at the foot of the altar, and knelt before it.

"I hope this is… 'valuable' enough. I'm trying not to think about why Rumplestiltskin chose this to give to me, I can't imagine I really want to know his reasoning," Regina said to the altar, briefly smiling. She felt that she had sufficiently emptied the contents of her soul. She hadn't at all planned on crying, but she was sure that her tears couldn't have hurt in trying to convince Zeus that she needed his help. Regina realized that her openness with her words had resulted from the fact that she really did want to expose her genuine emotional pain with someone. But she was far too prideful to let her guard down in front of a sentient person.

Knowing that she had said everything she could, shown every bit of emotion that she had, and simply done all that she could do… Regina closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly shut as she loosened her grip on the necklace's chain. Regina took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, attempting to make peace with what she had just done.

After another moment, she stood. Regina was unsure what she was supposed to do now… Did she just stand here and wait? Would he already have appeared to her if he was interested in helping her?

What felt like an eternity passed before she heard it.

"Hello, Regina," she heard a man's voice call gently from behind her. And somehow she knew she was about to be saved.

—-

"Snow?! Emma, Henry, David?!" Regina called frantically, as she burst through the front door of her home. Almost instantaneously, she heard four pairs of footsteps eagerly rushing from the kitchen to meet her in the atrium.

"Regina, what is it, did it work?" Snow asked excitedly. Snow took a moment to try and determine if they were about to hear good news or bad news. She examined Regina's features, and after a few seconds, was perplexed to see that there definitely was something different about Regina… The light had returned to her eyes. The fire, and the ambition and the confidence had reappeared. It had taken her a moment to notice it as a new change because she had previously been so used to seeing it, prior to Robin's death.

"Yes, yes, it worked," Regina responded, completely grinning. Snow didn't think she had seen Regina smile so widely in… well, ever.

"What did he say?!" Henry questioned enthusiastically, who was also now smiling widely at seeing his mother so happy again.

"He was… waiting for my… call? I don't know what to call it, but whatever, not important. He was waiting for me to contact him before saying anything, because he wanted to gauge whether or not my love for Robin was true, and if, as a result, I deserved to have it in my life, after my horrible past as the Evil Queen. Which, actually, is kind of the worst and if I wasn't so happy right now I would definitely have incinerated something-" Regina rapidly answered, the words just pouring out of her.

Snow cut her off. "Not the time, Regina, what did he say?"

"Robin isn't really dead! The crystal was a fake!" Regina finally exclaimed. Henry, David, Emma, and Snow exchanged glances of bewilderment.

"What do you mean it was fake?" Emma inquired confusedly. Regina sighed, preparing herself to explain the complexity of the situation.

"When Zeus exiled Hades from Mount Olympus and sent him to the Underworld, he also broke the real Olympian Crystal in half and physically prevented Hades from being able to reconcile it by stopping his heart, because he knew that Hades could never harness that kind of deadly weapon responsibly," Regina said slowly.

"Right, we know that already," David interrupted her, seemingly confused by the lack of new information. Good lord, these people were impatient…

"If you would let me get a sentence out, I would be delighted to add to the information we've already compiled," Regina snarked. Everyone was silent at that. "But what we didn't know is that after he broke the crystal, Zeus realized that even though the chances of Hades finding true love in order to restart his heart and fix the crystal were slim, he didn't want to risk it. He knew the kind of damage that Hades could inflict, and he didn't want to feel responsible if Hades ever managed to fuse the crystal back together. So before Hades went to the Underworld, Zeus _replaced_ the real broken Olympian crystal with a fake one, also broken in half, just in case Hades ever found true love."

Snow, Emma, David, and Henry attempted to process the information that Regina had just revealed to them. Regina, meanwhile, was scintillating. She didn't think there were words in the english language that were extreme enough to express her sense of relief and ecstasy. She felt as though a literal burden had been lifted from her chest. She suddenly could breathe again. Time wasn't physically painful to her, she didn't dread the idea of the future. In fact… She couldn't stop thinking about the future. Robin Hood… She was going to see him again.

"Wait, Regina, I don't understand…" Emma began, her expression seemingly very encumbered by Regina's explanation. Regina felt a surge of irritation with the blonde.

"Yes, Ms. Swan?" she asked irritably, arching a dark eyebrow at her.

"If the crystal that Hades used didn't kill Robin… What did it do to him, and where the hell did he go?" Emma asked slowly, staring at Regina with genuine confusion. Regina was momentarily abashed to realize that she had indeed left out a large and crucial part of her explanation.

"Right. Sorry, I forgot. The fake crystal that Zeus replaced the real one with wasn't just an old piece of rock, it was magical as well. The fake crystal simply just transports someone to another realm," Regina clarified.

"But still, you said that when Robin was hit with the crystal that you saw his soul leave his body, and then you… laid with his dead body for over an hour afterwards…" David said softly, as not to offend Regina with the horrible memory. Regina shuddered at the mention of that awful hour of her life.

"Zeus said that the way this realm, or the fake crystal, or whatever, the way it worked was that the soul of the person struck by the crystal would leave their body and go to the new realm, and that eventually the body would follow. If we went and dug up Robin's grave right now… his body wouldn't be there," Regina answered Charming, still doing her best not to actually picture Robin's lifeless form, as the mere memory of it was enough to depress her all over again.

"Alright, enough with the small questions! None of this matters. Mom, how do we get to Robin Hood?" Henry finally cut in. Regina took a second to adore her son. She was also relieved to see that she clearly had managed to pass along at least some good traits through raising him, such as cutting to the chase, a quality that the Charming family most definitely did not possess.

"Zeus said that Rumple could open a portal, it's just like any other realm. It's relatively unexplored and uninhabited, but it's not any more difficult to get to," Regina answered Henry, smiling broadly.

"Regina… You're going to see Robin Hood again," Snow beamed.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks so much to those of you following and reviewing, spread the word! So hopefully this chapter satiates the sadness I'm sure this fan fiction has brought you, as Regina suffering is literally the worst thing in the world. Her and Robin will be reunited this chapter!**

Chapter 5

Fortunately for Regina, Zeus' information had proven completely accurate. Rumple was indeed able to open a portal to the needed realm without any more difficulty than for any other. On the down side, Zeus had not disclosed much about said realm, and therefore, she had absolutely no clue what to expect from it. Not that she cared in the slightest. Regina would do anything to see Robin again.

Much to Regina's displeasure, Emma, Snow, and David had all decided, more like _demanded_ that they accompany her on her journey. It wasn't necessarily that she didn't appreciate and or desire their aid, she just didn't want to have to be concerned with anyone but her and Robin's safety. She didn't want to make the same mistake that Emma had made in taking everyone along to the Underworld… The more people, the more concern. And Regina was extremely keen on harnessing all her energy towards rescuing Robin. However, as Emma and David had astutely pointed out, if the fake olympian crystal used on Robin sent him to this realm, it had also sent Hades to the same place after Zelena used it against him. Regina didn't feel particularly inclined to inform the Charmings that if she did happen to encounter Hades, she would have no qualms about murdering him. For real this time.

Henry was most displeased that he had not been extended an invitation on their journey, but Regina had made it absolutely clear to all members involved that she absolutely would _not_ waver on bringing Henry along. The answer was a definite no. She didn't want anyone there that might hinder her focus should danger present itself, and she knew she couldn't possibly wholly focus herself on Robin Hood if she thought there was even the slightest chance Henry could be in harm's way. And for once… Regina knew she had to make the selfish choice and order Henry to remain in Storybrook. Even if it hurt her to have him upset with her.

Zeus certainly hadn't been exaggerating when he said that this realm was 'relatively unexplored and uninhabited'. Uninhabited was the understatement of the century, there wasn't a living soul in sight.

However, Zeus had also failed to mention the sheer beauty of the alien landscape… If Regina didn't know better, someone certainly could have convinced her that this really was heaven. The terrain was pure, luscious green grass, stretching on endlessly over the whole visible surface. The skies were clear, cloudless and purely blue. All around them were extensive, rich forests, covered in thick foliage. There was a light floral scent in the air, most likely originating from the scattered, colorful flowers throughout the grass.

"So… How do we find Robin Hood? There isn't exactly anyone we can ask," Emma said, after a long moment of perplexity. Regina didn't answer immediately, as she was unable to tear her eyes away from the surrounding forests. She knew he was in there. Where else would Robin go, other than to his true home?

"We need to split up and search the forests," Regina finally replied. Understanding dawned on the Charmings, as they also recalled Robin's love of the forest and natural landscape.

"Definitely we should search the forests, but I don't know how good of an idea splitting up is. We shouldn't forget that Hades is here too…" David trailed off uncertainly. Regina conceded defeat on this point. Even though _she_ certainly wasn't afraid of Hades, she definitely didn't need anyone else's unfortunate encounter with him on her conscience.

"Fine. Snow and David, take the west forest. Emma, the south. And I'll handle the north," Regina responded to this nonchalantly. Regina was confident that Emma would not have the same aversion to splitting up as her father.

"I'm pretty sure that still qualifies as splitting up," David argued, raising an eyebrow in contention. Regina's eyes rolled so far back into her head that she felt as though she could almost see the back of her skull. She had not been expecting this level of resistance, and had really been hoping to avoid explaining why she was so keen on splitting up…

"Excellent, Charming. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to spell this out for you, but my interest in splitting up stems from the fact that when I find Robin, I don't really want our reunion to be witnessed by the likes of you three," Regina snarked. When she found Robin, Regina had every intention of throwing herself into his arms and never letting him go. Regina had never been terribly fond of public displays of affection, or really touching at all, except for certain obvious… _exceptions_. However, having spent the last week believing that she would never feel Robin's touch again… Regina now couldn't imagine ever being in the same room with him and _not_ touching him.

"…And that's the end of that discussion. Let's get this show on the road," Emma quickly interjected, ending the debate. Regina couldn't recall ever being so grateful for Emma's sense of discomfort with personal topics. With that, the three parties split off into their designated portion of forest.

—-

Regina had no idea how long she had been meandering through the woods. The sun had set, and darkness had completely fallen on the trees. Her feet were absolutely killing her, and every bone in her body yearned to sit down. But there was no way in hell that Regina would rest until she had found Robin Hood. She briefly considered the possibility that he was in a different direction of the forest, but she felt as though if that were the case, someone would have found her already. How annoying it would be if one of the Charmings found Robin rather than her…

"Robin?!" Regina called out loudly, as she had been doing periodically for hours. However, as she called his name this time, she could have sworn that she heard rustling in the trees nearby. This instantly captivated her attention, as she had become accustomed to utter silence and stillness in response to her calls.

"Robin?!" she called out again, louder this time, desperation and excitement managing to creep into her voice. She quickened her pace, much to the anger of her aching feet, almost to the point that she was running as she anxiously pushed twigs and branches out of her way.

"Robin?!"

"REGINA?!" she suddenly heard a desperate voice calling back. A voice she would recognize anywhere.

"Robin, where are you?!" Regina immediately shouted back in response, unable to keep the emotion out of her voice. Much to her confusion, she could feel her eyes welling up with tears. She literally couldn't fathom her own happiness in the moment, she had never felt such a relief in her entire existence.

"I'm trying to get to you!" Robin's voice responded loudly. Regina momentarily closed her eyes and forced herself to concentrate on where his voice was coming from, rather than just obsessing over the fact that she had actually found him.

"Don't move, I'm coming to you!" she called back.

Regina was literally sprinting through the woods at this point. She couldn't believe that in a matter of _seconds_ she was going to see Robin again. She simply could not process it.

After maybe another twenty seconds of running, she stopped dead in her tracks when she finally, _finally,_ saw him. His back was to her as he stood next to a campfire that he clearly had built, which dimly lit the small clearing they were now in.

Just as Regina resumed her sprint towards him, Robin perceived her presence and simultaneously turned around to face her. There weren't words to describe the way her heart leapt at seeing that enormous, goofy grin stretch across his ruggedly handsome face when he saw her.

Regina couldn't possibly ever explain the feeling of when Robin's strong arms finally wrapped securely around her body as she collided with his chest. Or the masculine, piney smell of his neck as she almost involuntarily nestled her face into it. Or the feeling of his soft, sandy blonde hair as her fingers tangled themselves into it. Or the sound of his gentle, accented voice repeatedly breathing her name into her ear as though overwhelmed with affection. Robin's arms were wrapped so tightly around her that both his hands were able to rest lightly on the curves of her waist. The feeling of her own body lightly shaking with tears of happiness was distant, as she much more pressingly tried to comprehend the fact that he had somehow been returned to her.

Regina had no idea how long they remained in their embrace, before they both mutually began to slightly retreat, so that they could actually look at each other for a moment. Regina briefly considered how many times they had stood just like this. Robin's hands lightly gripping around her hips, his thumbs gently rubbing her sides. Regina's hands placed solidly on Robin's strong shoulders as she stared up at him. Their faces much closer together than necessary for ordinary conversation. Yes, they had stood this way probably hundreds of times throughout hundreds of conversations, and every time Regina had loved, but never before had it felt like this. So perfect, so _right._ As Robin held her now, and she memorized his wonderfully handsome face as she had so many times before, she couldn't believe she had ever even considered giving up on him. Nothing was worth losing this.

"You found me," Robin said breathlessly, looking at Regina with such adoration that she almost passed out from the way it made her heart race.

"How could I not?" Regina found herself responding softly, unable to tear her eyes away from Robin's clear blue ones.

As she stared at him, taking in every inch of his adorably handsome face, which was currently molded into an expression of such affection that she could hardly breathe, she knew exactly what she wanted to say next. Words that she hadn't dared utter before she'd thought he was dead, words she could never summon the courage to say even though she knew with absolute certainty that they couldn't be more true.

"Robin, I-" she began hesitantly, staring intensely at him. Regina wasn't in the habit of so openly expressing her love with anyone other than Henry. Especially not a man she felt… _this_ way about. Robin, as though he was directly reading her mind, took her face gently into his strong hands and grinned softly.

"Yes?" he chided lightly, knowing exactly what she was about to say to him. Robin tried to prepare for the way it would feel to hear it from her lips. He hated to admit it, but he had secretly been dying to hear her say it, practically from the moment he met her. Of course, as the man, it was traditionally his job to say it first, but he had always felt that the dynamic of his relationship with Regina required her to say it first. His feelings for her were obvious, he never attempted to hide them, and he knew that she already knew he loved her. On the other hand, Regina was much more guarded and careful with her emotions, so he had always planned to let her say it first. He didn't ever want to pressure her into something she wasn't ready for. This was certainly not to say that waiting was easy, though.

"I love you," Regina said after a long pause, during which she attempted to gather her courage. However, much to her surprise, Regina did not feel vulnerable and afraid after disclosing this, as she had expected. She just felt… Unburdened. As though she had been carrying around a cumbersome secret and had finally told someone. Of course she had known how she felt about Robin for some time, but she had just never felt comfortable enough in their relationship to tell him.

And his reaction certainly didn't hurt her newfound comfort. The ecstatic grin that Robin responded with made Regina's heart race about a thousand miles a minute.

"And I love you," he responded clearly, staring into her eyes deeply for a moment before he kissed her. Regina's heart swooned at hearing his words, and the feeling of his gentle lips on hers. Until then, she had been unaware of how much she craved to hear him say it.

Robin hadn't really intended to make this a particularly long or passionate kiss, but those intentions seemed to evaporate into thin air as he was reminded of the dangerously addictive heaven that was kissing Regina. His hands tangled into her soft, thick dark hair as hers strongly gripped the collar of his white button down shirt. Regina's tongue lightly traced the outline of Robin's lips, and he involuntarily let out a moan of pleasure. His lips eagerly enveloped hers over and over again, their tongues moving together in a perfect synchronization that had both of them gasping for air as they allowed themselves to release the yearning and desire they'd been holding in their week long separation.

Robin's hands began to wander along Regina's perfectly sculpted body, just as she began to explore the stubble of his face with hers. Regina caught Robin by surprise as she suddenly pushed him back against a nearby tree, escalating the intensity of the kiss significantly. Robin's hands involuntarily shot down to grab the flawless curves of her waist, and he attempted to pull her even closer. Robin groaned loudly as Regina pressed her lips against his neck, sensually licking and sucking and biting everything she possibly could. It was amazing, even just being away from her for a week had made him begin to forget just how strong of a hold she had over him.

However, as much as Robin was enjoying this (and he was _really_ enjoying this), he actually was somewhat more interested in _talking_ to her, and just being with her rather than doing… other things. At least for the time being. There just were so many things he wanted to say to her, all he had been doing since he lost her was realizing all the things that he had never said and wanted to. At least he had managed to tell her that she was his future before Hades had fake killed him. But what disturbed him was the fact that she had actually been unsure of that beforehand, that she actually thought there was something she could do that would make him leave her or give up on her. He wanted to make it abundantly clear to her that he was never going anywhere, that he was practically enslaved by the intense strength of his love for her. At this point, Robin honestly wasn't sure if he _could_ leave her even if he wanted to.

He wanted to apologize for Zelena, and the child he had unintentionally spawned with her. Of course he loved his daughter, and couldn't bring himself to truly regret her existence, but when he retrospected about the way he had handled the entire situation, as far as Regina was concerned… He was disgusted with himself. He had expected her unending support, and she had given it to him. He had thoughtlessly placed Zelena's needs over hers, because Zelena was carrying his child, and he hated himself for it. Rarely had he ever thought to check in on Regina's mental state. He realized that he had scarcely even apologized for sleeping with another woman. Of course, in his defense, he had believed it to be his wife, and that he would never see Regina again. And he had used this defense when she had expressed her hurt at what had happened. But in the past week, when he again believed that he would never see her again, his mind had darkly considered the fact that Regina might eventually move on with someone else. The thought had _destroyed_ him, the idea of another man touching her with his hands made him feel physically ill. And these horrifying thoughts had finally made him consider how Regina must have felt when she found out about him and Zelena. And he could hardly wait to apologize for it, having gained this new perspective.

He also was struggling to suppress his desire to finally discuss making a future with her. Before Hades had attacked him, he had assumed that they would discuss their plans after they rescued his daughter. But while he had been separated from her, he had been practically crushed by his infinite regret of all the things he failed to do with her, or at least tell her that he wanted to do with her. He knew with absolute certainty that there would never be anyone else, that there would never be anything or anyone he would want more than he wanted Regina and a life with her.

"Regina," Robin managed to murmur in the brief moments in which their lips were not pressed together.

"Hmm?" Regina breathed in response, returning her focus to his neck so that he could say whatever it was he needed to. Robin's hands fell to her hips again and he almost lost his train of thought at the way she felt in his hands. Good lord, why did she have to look like this…

"Wait," he managed to get out. Regina, however, did not heed this request with any respect, and pressed her lips back against his.

"Not likely," she replied lightly as she began kissing him again. Robin's eyes practically rolled back into his head with pleasure as he almost fell prey to her perfection again, as he always did. His hands instinctively moved onto her perfect ass, and he let himself kiss her back ferociously for a moment, savoring her.

"Regina…" he trailed off again, finding himself still incapable of pushing her away. He was a man, she was a goddess, after all.

Regina was confused as to why Robin kept trying to interrupt this, and finally paused to stare at him.

"What is it?" she asked him confusedly, knitting her eyebrows together. He smiled, completely enchanted.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way… But all I've been able to do for the past week is think about all the things I never said to you, and I just… I really want to say them," Robin found himself saying sheepishly, praying that she didn't find this to be completely ridiculous. Much to his surprise and pleasure, however, Regina's eyes softened at this and she smiled.

"Me too. Sorry, I just got a little… Caught up in the moment," Regina responded with an irresistible smirk. Robin's heart sped at seeing that little smile, knowing it so well, as it was signature Regina. And anything classic to Regina was completely bewitching to Robin.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Alrighty friends, this is the last chapter of this fanfic! The purpose of this story really was just to act as a fix it for the horrific mess Adam and Eddy subjected us to, and in my mind, this last chapter I'm about to write will always be how it ended for my beloved Outlaw Queen. I was just going to leave it at that last chapter, but then decided I couldn't just leave you guys hanging without the 'conversation' Robin alluded to at the end of last chapter (that's why this update has taken so long). I have every intention of writing many more OQ fanfics, but they will probably be one shots and AUs. So, lovelies, please give me a follow, and hit me up with those follows and reviews when they come out;)**

 **In this chapter, I would like to point out that that whole bullshit that happened when they sent Roland back to the Enchanted Forest rather than letting him stay with Regina (literally what the hell was that), did not happen in this fanfic, and Roland is back in Storybook waiting for Robin to come home.**

 **Sorry for the terribly long note here, ENJOY!**

Chapter 6

"Come on, Roland, time to go to sleep!" Robin said gently to his son, who was rightfully sitting on his lap, arms tightly wrapped around his father's neck. Roland had been virtually plastered to Robin's side since his return to Storybrook two days ago, as though he feared if he let him go for even a moment, his father would be taken from him again. Regina certainly couldn't say she didn't understand this fear, and if her surroundings had permitted it, she probably would have been engaging in the same strategy as Roland. Alas, her surroundings had not allowed this for her, seeing as she and Robin had scarcely been able to find a moment alone since their return. It had become apparent that Robin was more beloved in Storybrook than either she or Robin realized, and his return had been heavily celebrated.

But tonight, finally, Regina and Robin had managed to sever themselves from the rest of the town, and had successfully arrived back to Regina's spacious mayor's mansion (the Charming clan had taken up residence in their own home again, upon Robin's return). Henry was staying the night with Emma, while Roland was remaining with Regina and Robin. Regina had no objection to this, of course, as she both adored the little boy herself and had missed spending time with him, and would sooner chop off her own arm than separate Robin from his son.

"But Daddy, I'm not sleepy yet!" Roland objected firmly. However, the yawn he let out mid-sentence somewhat detracted from his claim of wakefulness.

Robin and Regina both chuckled, and exchanged a knowing glance.

"You sure about that, little mate?" Robin chided lightly, smiling widely at his son. Regina's heart swelled a little, at the way Robin so perfectly fathered Roland. How could she _not_ adore both of them? It seemed highly unreasonable and implausible that Regina could possibly keep herself from wholeheartedly loving them both so much.

"I want to sit with you and Gina!" Roland protested further, involuntarily letting out another yawn. Regina stood from the chair she had previously been seated in, and crossed the room to sit next to Robin and Roland on the couch.

"We'll be here in the morning, I promise," Regina said to Roland softly, affectionately running her fingers through his thick mop of dark curls. Roland considered this for a moment, as though debating whether or not this was a trustworthy promise.

"I am kinda sleepy," he admitted quietly. Regina and Robin both laughed again, and Robin stood, easily scooping Roland up with him. He switched Roland over to his hip.

"To bed then," he said, smiling. Regina watched contentedly as Robin easily carried Roland upstairs and off to bed, the little boy already seemingly drifting off in his father's arms. Regina could certainly get used to this…

As she waited for Robin to return, Regina mindlessly cleared away her and Robin's empty wine glasses, as well as Roland's empty cup, previously holding chocolate milk. She washed out all three glasses in the sink, and placed them in the dishwasher.

She emerged from the kitchen a few seconds later, just as Robin was also reentering the living room.

"Bit of a blessing, that. My legs are completely asleep," Robin said, laughing as he reclaimed his seat on the couch. Regina also laughed at that, as she walked over to join him. The fate of Robin's legs was rather logical, as Roland hadn't left his lap in probably about three hours.

"That's a shame, I was actually hoping to perhaps take over his seat," Regina said softly, arching one perfect dark eyebrow. Her heart couldn't help but falter at the grin from Robin that her flirtation had earned.

"Amazing, they seem to have just woken up," he replied almost immediately, doing very little to mask his interest in her implication. Regina smirked, as she did indeed climb onto Robin's lap. She placed herself squarely in the middle of his legs, draping hers, in turn, across his, and curling them around his knees. She angled herself so that her chest was practically pressed against his, and easily wrapped her arms around his neck. One of Robin's hands wrapped around her back and rested on the curve of her waist, while the other mindlessly wandered up and down her somewhat exposed thigh. Each movement sent shivers of pleasure down Regina's spine. Regina briefly considered changing into something more comfortable than her traditional black pencil skirt and white button up blouse, but decided against it, as changing would require her to leave this position in Robin's lap, and she simply was not prepared for that. Furthermore, she was completely taken with how amazingly handsome Robin looked in a light blue button down shirt and black dress pants, and didn't want him to change yet either. Obviously, this outfit was a bit foreign to Robin's normal jeans, forest green color pallet, and rustic style, but as he hadn't had a change of clothes since Hades had attempted to kill him and banished him to a different realm, he'd been pretty anxious to change and had just borrowed clothes of David's that remained at Regina's house from the Charmings' temporarily stint in her home. So alas, she remained exactly where she was.

"I won't lie, towards the end of today, I was worried we might never have a moment alone," Robin said softly, lightly chuckling. Regina grinned and bit her lip, slightly averting her gaze from Robin's.

"Relieved to know that I wasn't the only one thinking that," she replied easily, unable to stop smiling. It was interesting… Before their incident with Hades, Regina would have said that she had somewhat emotionally settled into her relationship with Robin. Meaning, that she had generally gotten her butterflies and infinite desire and attraction under control. She hadn't constantly had to fight the urge to rip all of his clothes off and show him why people used to refer to her as the most powerful woman in the world every time she saw him anymore. In her defense, she'd never really gotten much of a chance to experience a simple and happy honeymoon phase with Robin before Marian had showed up and sort of rained on that parade, but, nevertheless, since he'd been back… It was like they'd returned to that brief period of time when they'd gotten to fall in love, completely unimpeded. And, much to her surprise, this emotional intensity wasn't making her feel vulnerable and frightened… She was enjoying every moment of it.

"So… that conversation I mentioned before we got back…" Robin trailed off gently. Regina knew he was referring to the moment in the forest when he'd asked if they could just talk, as he had a lot he wished to say to her. Despite being initially disappointed that he'd broken up their… _physical_ reunion, she had been secretly very much looking forward to that conversation. However, before they'd gotten a chance to have it, they both remembered that not only were the Charmings probably frantically searching for them, but a very sad and frightened Roland was desperately missing his father back in Storybrook. Alas, they had mutually agreed to postpone the conversation until they successfully returned home. Little had they known that it would be almost two days before they were completely alone again.

"I wouldn't mind having it right now," Regina encouraged him tenderly, knowing it probably was a bit nerve-racking for him to broach this subject.

"Well, now I feel foolish. I'm the one who brought this up, yet I hardly even know where to begin," Robin said, sighing. Regina strongly empathized with this statement.

"How about we start with the easy stuff? I think an apology is in order…" Regina began, referring to the way that she had allowed her own trust in Zelena to interfere with Robin's daughter's safety. Regina had tried to avoid thinking about the fact that, had she not so blindly placed her faith in her sister, Robin probably never would have been hurt. Of course, it wasn't truly Zelena's fault either, as the only mistake she'd made in this case was falling in love with the wrong man. But still, Regina knew Robin had never wanted to involve Zelena in the parenting of his daughter, and she'd really had no right to intervene.

"Regina, of course. You're right, I owe you the biggest of apologies," Robin said, interrupting Regina. Regina cocked her head to the side in confusion, but Robin continued anyways, "I never even came close to giving you a proper apology about what happened with Zelena. All I could talk about was my own issues, all I had to say to you was that I thought it was my wife."

"Robin-" Regina started attempting to stop him, shaking her head vigorously at his misunderstanding.

"I didn't even _think_ about the kind of pain that must have caused you! I… was with another woman. I left you alone, and I was with another woman. Of course, I didn't know who it was at the time, but it doesn't matter, I was with someone else," Robin continued over her.

"No, Robin, wait-" she tried to cut him off, almost physically unable to hear him apologize to her for anything that had happened.

"Regina, when I was alone in that forest, I, again, found myself in a position where I didn't think I'd ever see you again… I assumed there was no possible way that you would ever realize that I was still alive, after what Hades said about the crystal. You'd think I'd know better by now than to assume you _can't_ do something… Anyways, I kept thinking about the fact that I'd never see you again, and I realized that, at some point, you would probably move on. With someone else. And the thought-"

"Robin, I would _never_ have-"

"The _thought_ of another man touching you, the thought of another man putting his hands on you… made me sick. Which is horrifically selfish, I know, but I just couldn't help it. And then, then I thought about how you must have felt when you found out about Zelena… I was miserable just at the _idea_ that one day, eventually, at some point in the future someone else might get to touch you… I actually _was_ with someone else, I was with your _sister_! And you had to deal with it, and the most I could offer you was 'sorry, thought it was my wife'? I just couldn't live with the fact that I never told you how sorry I was. Regina, I will never be able to properly express how sorry I am for what happened, and I hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me," Robin finally finished, taking Regina's face into both of his hands and pressing his nose gently against hers. At Robin's bordering on romance-novel worthy apology, Regina realized for the first time how much she had craved to hear what he'd just said. She hadn't even noticed it, really, that she'd wanted him to say he was sorry for being with another woman. She'd never allowed herself to indulge in feeling that way, because she knew he hadn't really done anything wrong. He thought he would never see her again, she'd practically forced him to move on with his wife… but still, how it had _hurt_ her. No matter how hard she'd tried, she hadn't been able to force out of her mind the image of Robin's hands on someone else's body, of his voice murmuring someone else's name… And finally hearing him acknowledge all of this seemed to have assuaged an open and bleeding wound she hadn't even realized she'd had.

"Robin… Thank you, for saying that, but you have to know that I don't hold you responsible for that. You couldn't have known, and under the circumstances, I wouldn't have expected or wanted you to act any differently. Of course, it hurt me to know you'd been with someone else, but what else were you supposed to do? You don't have to ask for my forgiveness, you already have it. And you should also know, in case you were ever… wondering… I have forgiven Zelena for many things, and I may have accepted her into my family, but _that…_ what she did to us, will always be there, and I don't know that I'll ever really forgive her for that," Regina responded softly to him, genuinely meaning every word.

Robin smiled quickly and sighed. He lightly pressed his lips against her forehead for a moment, before kissing each of her cheeks and then her nose.

"You are perfect, you know," he said softly, grinning at her. Regina's heart faltered at this, and she could feel herself flushing. Not for the first time since she'd met Robin, she silently cursed her fair skin, as it made her constant blushing brutally apparent.

"Far from it," she murmured, kissing his lips easily and smiling. Robin surprised her by slightly deepening the kiss she'd started, his hands loosely tangling into her hair.

"I disagree," he protested quietly against her lips. He lingered there for a moment, before pulling back again.

"However, all this talk of your perfection seems to have led me straight to my next talking point…" Robin said pointedly, moving a dark piece of hair from Regina's face and lightly tucking it behind her ear. Regina raised her eyebrows, in a silent encouragement that he should continue.

"By all means."

"This one should be a bit more pleasant for you. At least I hope," Robin said, grinning. Regina arched her eyebrow again.

"I'm all ears."

"Regina… before we went into your office to get my daughter, and you said to me that you would understand if I wanted something other than you after everything was over… Did you truly mean that?" Robin asked slowly, as though heavily considering each selection of word he made. Regina, however, wasn't quite sure she understood the question, despite his careful choice of diction.

"Did I mean that I would understand if you didn't want to be with me anymore after all that had happened? Of course I meant that, Robin," she answered him simply, not breaking eye contact with him. Her response clearly pained him, however, which led her to believe she'd indeed misunderstood the question.

"Let me ask it another way… Did you really believe that there was something you could do that would make me stop wanting a future with you?" Robin asked again, his tone very confusing. It was almost like he was afraid of her answer.

"Well… yes?" Regina replied uncertainly, still completely bewildered by his very apparent anxiety. She didn't understand what his issue was with her saying yes to his question, it wasn't as though it would have been unreasonable for him to have terminated their relationship after the way she'd endangered his daughter and practically forced him to trust Zelena. How could she not ask if he'd been entertaining thoughts of that nature?

"I know things were a little tense and complicated between us because of everything happening with Zelena and my daughter, but Regina, _how_ could you think that I would let some slight unpleasantry end our relationship? How could you think that I would ever want any future that didn't include you? I mean really, after all that has happened between us… do you really not know how I feel about you?" Robin asked her earnestly. Regina really did not know where all of this passion was coming from, in the past, Robin had never been much of an open book about his feelings.

"I don't exactly have the best track record, you know," Regina couldn't help pointing out, raising an eyebrow. Robin rolled his eyes at that, but clearly conceded defeat on that point.

"Regina, do you know why I waited so long to tell you I loved you?" Robin asked. This question really caught Regina off guard. She actually had been secretly wondering that.

"No, actually I don't believe I do."

"Because I thought you knew! This whole time, I would have bet my life on the fact that you were already so blatantly and even tragically aware of how in love with you I am, that I never needed to tell you. I always thought that I would let you say it first, when you were ready… Had I known that all along you were unsure, believe me, I would have informed you long ago," Robin told her, laughing as though the whole thing was ridiculous. Regina could have sworn that Robin's response made her heart beat so fast that he could hear it… Nevertheless, she was completely incapable at hiding her very flattered grin any longer. She couldn't say the she minded having Robin so openly profess his love, it's not as though she'd vividly imagined what he would say and how it would feel to hear it about a million times before.

"I tend to be a bit stubborn when it comes to these kind of things."

It was the best response that Regina was able to muster, as feeble as it was. Luckily, Robin clearly found it charming and let out a laugh at her comment.

"Ah yes, God forbid someone should fall in love with the evil, evil queen," Robin chided lightly. You would think that Regina would really hate it when anyone alluded to her past misdeeds, and perhaps if anyone else did it the way that Robin did, she would. But for whatever reason, Robin's openness about her past and ability to playfully mock her about it, actually made her love him even more. The fact that she didn't have to hide from him, that he was comfortable with the things she'd done, and his complete lack of fear, had been one of the things she'd been most attracted to in him.

"You were right… This is much more fun," Regina grinned, kissing his lips again.

"Believe it or not, after all this nauseating emotion I've poured on you… I'm not even done yet," Robin admitted, smiling Regina's second favorite smile of his. It was something like a half smirk; a little lopsided, knowing smile (second only to his irresistible, goofy grin, reserved for only the most special occasions).

"Oh, yes, I'm really suffering right now, hearing all of this," Regina responded, grinning widely so that he would know in no uncertain terms that she was utterly kidding. She probably couldn't be enjoying herself more. Who wouldn't enjoy hearing everything they had desperately craved to hear in the past year?

"I profusely apologize, darling. But…" Robin trailed off slowly, his tone veering away from their cheerful banter and flirtation and taking a turn for something more serious again.

Robin placed both of his hands on Regina's waist and easily lifted her off of his lap. This was yet another thing Regina adored about Robin. The way he always managed to make her feel so… small and delicate in comparison to him. Something no one had been able to make her feel in a very, very long time. The way she was so considerably shorter than him, the complete lack of effort it required for him to pick her up, and the way he was always so… gentle in the way he touched her.

He sat her down next to him on the couch, before he rose from it. She stared up at him, trying to decipher what this last thing was that he felt he needed to say.

Much to her continued confusion, Robin offered her both of his hands, which she took, and he then pulled her up to stand with him.

"I just have one more thing to ask," he said slowly, his voice achingly soft and gentle. The smallest surge of understanding began to creep into Regina's mind…

The next few minutes were something like an out of body experience for Regina, as Robin very slowly knelt down on one knee in front of her. Regina could have sworn that her heart stopped beating, she could have sworn that everything in the world around her completely froze.

"Regina, you asked me once what I saw in you. And at that point, I had only had about twenty four hours to work through the complexity of my feelings, and the best answer I had to offer was that you were giving me a second chance," Robin began simply.

"You also mentioned that I was 'quite a good kisser'."

"Ah, yes, not really one of my most eloquent moments, that," Robin responded, flushing slightly. In any other context, Regina would have laughed, but she found herself so completely enraptured in what was happening before her eyes, that all she could muster was a feeble chuckle, before Robin went on.

"Anyways… I know now, after having had the privilege of having you in my life for almost a year now, that that answer I gave you was… completely true and completely inaccurate at the same time. Yes, you are giving me my second chance at forever with someone, but now I see that what I have with you is so much more than that. I think that, since the first moment I met you, both times, in the Enchanted Forest and in Storybrook, that I've always known, somewhere inside of me, that we would end up here. You are… _beautiful,_ I don't know that I've told you that before directly, which is really horrendous on my part… You are smart, driven, passionate, witty… you _challenge_ me. You're my equal, and my superior in more ways than I would care to admit… you are my partner. You are everything I ever wanted in a woman, and all the things that I forgot to ask for all at the same time."

Robin slowly reached into his back pocket and withdrew a small wooden box. Regina, meanwhile, attempted to stop feeling so lightheaded and get herself under control.

"I've had this… for awhile now. This belonged to my mother, but it was stolen from me in Sherwood Forest, long before I met Marian. And, a few months ago, when I first decided that at some point I was going to summon the courage to do this, I went to Rumplestiltskin's shop to look for a decent ring for you, and stumbled upon it. It came over with the first curse, he said. That's probably not true, I'm sure that filthy imp acquired it in some horrifying manner, but, nevertheless, it was returned to me, and I would really like it if… you would let it be yours now," Robin continued, not once taking his eyes away from Regina's. She really hoped that she didn't look as vulnerable and excited as she felt.

Robin easily popped open the box, to reveal a flawlessly simple, thin silver band, embroidered with the most humble yet beautiful light green diamond. How perfectly… _Robin._

"I also said to you once, that I made a vow to be honest, truthful and good, everyday of my life. And it has recently become apparent to me, through a painfully close brush with death, that the only way I can truly uphold that code, is with you by my side. Regina, you are not my consolation prize. You _are_ my future, and now I just want to ask… if you, Regina Mills, would do me the honor of becoming my wife. Until death actually does manage to separate us."

To be honest, Regina remembers every single word that was uttered the night that Robin proposed, except what her answer had been. All she could remember was being unable to stop nodding, as Robin slid the ring onto her finger. She remembered as he stood on his feet in front of her again, and kissed her, with her face securely nestled between his strong hands, just where it belonged.

She'd never thought she'd have this… And for the first time in her entire life, Regina considered her own amazing fortune, and in turn, her painfully long awaited good future.


End file.
